The taskbar is arguably the most important part of Windows 11. As the starting point for many searches, app launches and tweaks to settings, it’s something you interact with dozens of times every day.
But compared to the Windows 10 version, it feels like the taskbar took a step back at launch. Many popular features were missing, while there was no obvious benefit to the new design.
Microsoft has re-added a few of these since, but there’s still more work to be done. You can speed up the process using this article, which includes six of the most popular ways to customise the Windows 11 taskbar.
The Windows 11 taskbar can feel a little cluttered, especially once you’ve pinned your own apps there. Fortunately, Microsoft lets you choose whether some key tools or icons are displayed:
- Head to Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar
- Under ‘Taskbar items’, use the drop-down box next to ‘Search’ to choose how you’d like the feature to be displayed (if at all)
- Next to ‘Task view’, ‘Widgets’ and ‘Chat’, use the toggles to choose whether you’d like the icons to appear on the taskbar
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- Under ‘System tray icons’, decide if you’d like the pen menu (when a stylus is in use) or virtual touchpad icons to be shown using the toggles
- Using the drop-down box next to ‘Touch keyboard’, choose when you’d like it to appear
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- Click ‘Other system tray icons’ to expand that section
- Switch the toggle to the ‘On’ position for any you’d like to permanently appear in the taskbar, and ‘Off’ for those you don’t
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The centralised Start menu was one of Windows 11’s most controversial changes, but also one of the easiest to rectify. Ever since launch, Microsoft has made it easy to move the Start menu back to its traditional position on the left side:
- Head to Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar
- Click ‘Taskbar behaviours’ to expand that section
- Click the drop-down box next to ‘Taskbar alignment’ and select ‘Left’. The change will be applied immediately
In the same section, there’s also the option to automatically hide the taskbar and decide if you’d like badges or flashing to be displayed on taskbar apps. On touchscreen devices, you can also decide whether to optimise it for use as a tablet.
You can also toggle the options for sharing any window from the taskbar, quick access to the desktop in the far-right corner and seconds next to the time.
Move it to the top, left or right of the screen
On Windows 10, you could move the taskbar to either side or the top of the screen if you’d prefer. But Microsoft removed this with the introduction of Windows 11…or did it?
While technically no longer available, there is a workaround which allows you to access those legacy options. Just be aware that it involves making changes to the Registry, so it’s worth backing up everything first and following these instructions carefully:
- In the search bar next to the Start menu, type ‘registry editor’ and open the relevant app
- From the pop-up that appears, click ‘Yes’ to confirm
- In the navigation bar at the top, replace the existing text with ‘Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StuckRects3’ and hit enter
- Double-click ‘Settings’ to open it
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- Locate the value that’s six columns across and two rows down. It should currently be ‘03’, indicating a bottom-align taskbar. Replace it with ‘00’ for one on the left, ‘01’ for the right or ‘00’ at the top
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- Click ‘OK’ to confirm
- Restart your device to apply changes
Change its size
Here’s another one which relies on the Registry. The Windows 11 taskbar stays the same size regardless of the total size of your screen, which can make it annoyingly small or large.
Microsoft doesn’t officially let you change its size, but there is a way:
- In the search bar next to the Start menu, type ‘registry editor’ and open the relevant app
- From the pop-up that appears, click ‘Yes’ to confirm
- In the navigation bar at the top, replace the existing text with ‘Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced’ and hit enter
- Right-click any white space and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
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- Give it ‘TaskbarSi’ as a name and hit enter, then double-click it
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- The ‘Value data’ should currently be ‘1’, indicating the default medium taskbar. Enter ‘0’ for small version or ‘2’ for a large one, then click ‘OK’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Restart your device to apply changes
Change its colour or make it transparent
On Windows 11, you can make the taskbar (and all other accents) any colour you’d like:
- Head to Settings > Personalisation > Colours
- Next to ‘Accent colour’, make sure ‘Manual’ is selected from the drop-down box
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- Click any of the preset ‘Windows colours’, which will be applied immediately. Alternatively, click ‘View colours’ and choose something very specific, then click ‘Done’
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- Next to ‘Show accent colour on Start and taskbar’, move the toggle to the ‘On’ position
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Just above the ‘Accent colour’ options, you’ll see a toggle for ‘Transparency effects’. Rather than take on a solid colour, the taskbar becomes slightly transparent to blend with other elements more seamlessly. This is turned on by default, but it’s your choice whether to keep it that way.
Decide what happens when external displays are connected
External displays are the easiest way to extend your total screen area, but that doesn’t mean you want the taskbar to look identical across all of them. Luckily, there are a few options available to you:
- Head to Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar
- Click ‘Taskbar behaviours’ to expand that section
- Check the box next to ‘Show my taskbar on all displays’ if this is something you’d like
- Next to ‘When using multiple displays, show my taskbar apps on’, click the drop-down box. Choose one of the three options, all of which are self-explanatory
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Add labels and never combine app icons (coming soon)
Two more features that Microsoft removed with the introduction of Windows 11 will return soon. As Twitter user Albacore first reported, the ability to label items in the taskbar and stop combining open windows of the same app into a single view will be re-added.
The features are available to members of the Windows Insider Program now, ahead of an expected full release at some point in the near future – potentially in the 23H2 update.